Survivor Squad: Gauntlets

About

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets is a single player survival strategy game with a post-apocalyptic theme. It was developed by Endless Loop Studios and was released on November 16, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Command your Squad of Survivors in a game where Line of Sight is extremely important, you cannot shoot what you cannot see. Develop your formations, move as a unit and cover every corner. Leave no man behind!

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 111 reviews

story9 positive mentions

graphics6 negative mentions

Unique tactical top-down squad survival gameplay with emphasis on positioning, line-of-sight, and strategic decision making.
Robust and flexible level editor allowing players to create, share, and play custom missions, greatly extending replayability.
Active and responsive developers with continuous updates, a supportive community, and added new features improving on the original game.

Gameplay suffers from control issues, including frustrating squad movement and AI quirks, making micromanagement cumbersome.
Repetitive mission design with limited variety and lack of deeper progression or survival mechanics compared to the original.
Numerous bugs and technical shortcomings at times hinder gameplay experience; graphics and audio are basic and can detract from immersion.

story
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
80%
6%
The game features a short, mission-based campaign with a somewhat weak or minimal story focused on zombie survival, often described as repetitive and lacking depth compared to the original's open-world format. However, its powerful mission editor allows players to create and share custom scenarios with narrative elements, significantly expanding the potential storytelling and gameplay variety beyond the developer-produced content. This community-driven aspect is highly praised and considered the main appeal for players interested in varied and story-rich missions.
- “Seems more story focused than the original game, and also allows users to create their own missions or mission series and share them with others.”
- “The editor is a very powerful tool that allows users to create and share their own gauntlets, be it a simple survival mission, or a lengthy story driven mission full of danger and puzzles, the editor lets you make it.”
- “It gives up the open world, free roam format for a more story driven, level or mission based play style that possesses a much more detailed and linear story than the original, which is also much shorter than the original.”
- “The story is also pretty bad.”
- “Story basically is "zombies attack and you are killing them."”
- “Instead it is just a mission based campaign that I couldn't finish because of how annoyed I was at the material gathering mission.”
gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
Survivor Squad: Gauntlets offers a tactical, squad-based gameplay experience centered on a unique line-of-sight mechanic and real-time strategic combat that creates tense, thoughtful encounters. While controls are intuitive and the core gameplay is engaging and rewarding for fans of deliberate, methodical tactics, the mission variety can feel repetitive, and some features like progression and survival mechanics from the original are missing. Despite occasional bugs and a steep learning curve, it provides a solid short-session strategy experience with room to grow through updates.
- “The gameplay loop is structured around a series of missions where players must guide their squad through hostile environments, eliminate waves of infected enemies, and reach extraction points.”
- “Very nice squad combat game, with elements of Frozen Synapse and Jagged Alliance repackaged in gameplay that gives the player a lot of control, while still requiring some situational awareness and reflexes.”
- “Its line-of-sight mechanic and emphasis on positioning create moments of genuine tension, especially for players who enjoy slower, more deliberate action.”
- “Once the core mechanics are fully understood, later missions tend to feel like extensions of the same ideas rather than new challenges that require different thinking.”
- “However, the game does not always communicate its systems clearly, which can lead to moments of confusion, particularly when dealing with equipment or understanding certain mechanics.”
- “The current game mechanics are really basic, but I hope Endless Loop Studios will keep posting updates to level up the experience of this epic tactical zombie survival.”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
57%
29%
The graphics receive mixed feedback, described as basic, simplistic, or even poor by some, with issues in clarity and environment detail. However, others appreciate the clean, minimalist, and top-down cartoonesque style that complements the tactical gameplay. Overall, the visuals are functional but not particularly impressive or refined.
- “I really like the graphics, simple and clean, sort of cartoonesque.”
- “It does tension and edge of your seat action perfectly and I really do love the top down graphics style they have gone for.”
- “The things I do like about the game are the new gadgets, weapons, new people graphics and more than just rain!”
- “I don't mind bad graphics in general, but here it makes it hard to differentiate between doors and other types of textures.”
- “I found the game very basic and the graphics are nothing special which was not expected and which is not necessary.”
- “I had to get used to the game’s graphic style, the characters look fine, but in terms of the environment, objects, houses and UI, it needs to be more defined.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game provides a fitting and tactical atmosphere but suffers from limited variety and repetition, which can become tiresome over time. While some users appreciate the soundtrack's tone matching the gameplay, many suggest adding more ambient or atmospheric tracks to enhance immersion. Players also note the option to disable music for a personalized experience, acknowledging the game's early access status and potential for future improvements.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “There's a good variety of weapons, the soundtrack is good, and while I think it would suit the game better if it was turn-based, it is still easy to keep a good tactical overview with the use of pause mode.”
- “On a note, but reiterating that it is in fact still early access, the music is not too varied and can get repetitive to listen to the same tracks over and over. If the developers are planning on adding more tracks, then all the better, and if not you can always disable the in-game music and play a custom playlist of yours for a more personalized experience.”
- “The music is not very varied and can become repetitive, with the same tracks playing over and over. More tracks would improve the experience, or players can disable in-game music and use their own playlists.”
- “There’s not much music in the game; adding some ambient atmospheric soundtrack would enhance the experience.”
- “The music matches the action but is quite forgettable.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game offers high replayability, largely due to simple mechanics combined with extensive community-made maps and customizable scenarios, providing endless variety. However, some players feel certain modes are less engaging than the original, and long-term immersion could be improved with a persistent world that reflects player actions. Overall, replay value is strong but has room to grow with added features.
- “Simple to learn, but gives plenty of replay value with community made maps.”
- “There are many community made gauntlets that are available for survivor squad, extending replayability and also difficulty.”
- “You can make your own 'gauntlets' (scenarios), which means endless replayability.”
- “And the final point I have taken away because I feel although the game's replayability level is high, I would have liked a persistent world where my actions could have an effect.”
- “With this feature in place, the replayability is drastically increased, although the build menu could desperately use some music.”
- “There are many community-made gauntlets available for survivor squad, extending replayability and also difficulty.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The game generally runs well and remains stable from launch, with only minor issues like a sound bug and some glitches affecting gameplay. While it functions properly on platforms like Linux, certain technical distractions and a steep learning curve may detract from the overall experience for some players.
- “What a buggy mess.”
- “The learning curve is very steep, and there are a lot of glitches and things that distract from the fun gameplay. My doors never seem to fit in my walls, and other various issues. Because of these, I sadly cannot recommend this game. If you have Survivor Squad, don't bother getting this one; you have the good one already.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere effectively creates a compelling sense of uncertainty, enhancing its unique charm, especially within the zombie genre. However, the understated audio design and lack of ambient music limit its overall atmospheric impact. Adding a more immersive soundtrack could further elevate the experience.
- “The situations are also great, this game achieves an atmosphere of uncertainty that really gives it a special charm and that I think more games of the zombie genre should strive to achieve.”
- “The audio design is similarly understated, providing necessary feedback without adding much atmosphere or personality.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is clever and entertaining, blending smart wit with quirky scenarios. However, some jump scares intended to be funny may come off as cheap or less effective, likened humorously to a harmless elderly dog in a costume. Overall, the humor adds charm but can be hit-or-miss depending on player preferences.
- “It is smart and funny.”
- “The game forces 4 characters upon you, one of whom shares the same name as me, so I decided he'd be the one the others would be meat shields for. It's your job to make sure the survivors don't get mauled by the countless zombies holding knives and forks and rubbing their tummies, and it's an equal job to make sure the zombies hiding in bedside cabinets don't rip out your giblets when you search them. I found this annoying, as I saw them as cheap jump scares with the scare factor of an elderly dog covered in a bed sheet with eyeholes cut out making a funny noise like it has no control over its bladder. If the jump scares in Survivor Squad were like an elderly dog, I'd want to move it swiftly before it urinates on my Persian rug.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is a notable aspect of the game, with some levels requiring extended playtime, often over an hour, making the developer-made campaign challenging rather than casual.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets is a survival strategy game with post-apocalyptic theme.

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets was released on November 16, 2015.

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets was developed by Endless Loop Studios.

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Survivor Squad: Gauntlets for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Survivor Squad: Gauntlets is a single player game.

Similar games include Survivor Squad, The Red Solstice, Breach & Clear: Deadline Rebirth, Door Kickers 2, Door Kickers and others.

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